iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

With the summer's intense heat, I haven't done nearly as much walking as I've wanted. But today was perfect to get buffetted by the winds on the Clwydian ridge in North Wales and to get the legs moving again on its undulating path from Moel Famur to Moel Arthur. #goforawalk #hiking

Photo of the Clwydian ridge in Moel Famur country park. There are blue skies and a few sheep among the tufts of grass and heather.

A grass and stone path leading along the Clwydian ridge in Moel Famur Country park.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Enjoyed reading this collection of poetry in, well, various cafés. It was good for a quick dip and will stand up to multiple re-readings. Café as place, as a verb, as a state of mind, as a dreamscape. Interesting section inspired by Brief Encounter. Another quirky @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social

A copy of Holly Pester's collection of poetry, Cafés, is held up against a latte in a pretty pink cup, on a faux marble table with potted ferns in the background.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Good to see the gang back together. I loved the original series and the film is just as goofy and loveable.

Movie poster for Dix Pour Cent:Le Film, shows the main cast in an office with paperwork on a table.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Was looking on my shelves for some Brookner to read and I have this one!

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

No, but this does sound good. Ah, the wisdom of women in the woods!

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Read this in one sitting. Delicious. Witty and original; a modern fairytale including a visit to a house in the woods; a selfish morality tale (be careful what you wish for); a six act play on the modern world's anger, envy and disconnection as an academic battle of the sexes. #bookerlonglist

A copy of Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman lies on a blue and white duvet cover. It is the Fitzcarraldo edition in their distinctive blue covers with white type.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Popped into the VGM yesterday to see Making Your Mark - a print exhibition featuring among others, Celia Paul, Lucien Freud and my favourite - Dorothea Wight. I love her little window-scapes. It's a lovely gallery to visit with its gorgeous tiled interior and small but interesting rooms. #liverpool

Three photos of prints in black and white etchings. The top one is Five Sisters by Celia Paul showing four women sitting next to each other on a bench with a fifth, much smaller, looking in from a window behind.
Bottom left is Linda Sleeping by Celia Paul depicting a woman's head and arm as she sleeps on her side. Bottom right is Solicitor's Head by Lucien Freud, a close-up of the face of a woman with a partially open mouth and thick, curly hair.

A photo of October Morning, a coloured print by Dorothea Wight. It depicts a window with a partially drawn blind and a green landscape of hills.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Saw this last week. Not his best but as always, great roles for women so enjoyable to watch. The ending was just a bit lame.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This has been my favourite of the three Rileys I've read, though I am still pondering the title. A greater sense of carpe diem but her characters were more settled and dare I say it happier, in middle age. Great dialogue as always. I prefer John of John, but this was a good read. #Bookerlonglist

A copy of Gwendoline Riley's The Palm House sits propped up on a window sill next to a potted jade plant. The cover is a black and white photo of a seated woman but only her long, bare legs are visible, stretched out.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I have read Seven Steeples and enjoyed Baume's descriptive and beautiful attention to detail even though I didn't love the novel as a whole. This does sound good though and my kind of book.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A good way to end the week, walking along the North Wales Coastal path, nine miles from Red Wharf Bay to Moelfe. Perfect weather, a nice breeze and ice cream at the end. #goforawalk

A photo of cliffs, a rocky beach, blue-green sea and shadowy hills in the distance.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

And for those who have read it, I can also recommend Crowdie and Cream by Finlay J. Macdonald, about a Hebridean community of crofters and weavers following the First World War.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

First book read on the Booker longlist and I LOVED it!!! Was completely absorbed in this small Hebridean community of secrets, religious stoicism, and the sadness entwined with lives unlived and love shamed. Such good writing with spots of humour and insight into weaving too. Highly recommended.

A copy of John of John by Douglas Stuart lies on some Harris Tweed woven with browns, purples and blues. The cover of the book has the title and author in a bold, ecclesiastical font over a blurred photo of a windscreen with droplets of rain and sea, clouds and a fading sunset in the distance.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

A great book to end #witmonth . A really unusual and philosophical novel set within the urgency and despair of climate change. A convincing narrative voice carried me completely through to the end. Thought-provoking and poetic. Translated by Sophie Collins who has a good afterword on the process.

A copy of The Opposite of a Person by Lieke Marsman, translated by Sophie Collins, shows the head of a young woman underwater with her eyes closed and a large air bubble that has just escaped from her mouth. It lies on a quilt top made of squares of indigo dyed fabric.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Also had a lovely browse in the indy bookshop, The Book Stop. And found a fun read. I clearly had knitting on my mind.

Two photos. The one on the left shows a bookshop window with a bookcase full of square boxes filled with new releases. The photo on the right is the cover of Knit One, Heist One by Donna Moore. It has an illustration of a head in a balaclava constructed out of stockinette knitted stitches.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The museum, which is free is also well worth a visit. I loved these glass samples.

A jumble of colourful glass rectangles, the size of paint chip samples, are scattered on top of a light box so that their colours glow.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

A very enjoyable day out to the World of Glass museum in St. Helens which was hosting the International Festival of Glass. I know nothing about this artform so it was fascinating to see so many different techniques. Some of my faves are in the photos. Artists listed in the alt text.

Three works of glass art:

Top photo is Knitting With Glass by Mandy Capel showing a small bit of knitting in yellow glass suspended between two posts.

Bottom left photo is Emerging Order by Yuanyang Liu - two knitted vessels made out of glass with open "stitches" at the rim.

Bottom right photo is Watershed by Carol Milne - large piece of knitted glass in blues and greens on two needles.

Three pieces of glass art:

Left photo is a portion of Glass Fingers: Wall Totem by Miles van Rensselaer. Glass "water" cascades down from one brass hand to another.

Top right photo is Market Bag No. 16 by Claudia E Ponce de Leon. A colourful plaid bag made out of glass with orange glass handles is affixed to a square mirror.

Bottom right photo is Tartes au Verre ( For Your Eyes Only) by Sarah Brown. Life sized individual fruit and chocolate tarts made out of glass.

Two works of glass art:

In the front is City Blocks Paperweight by Katherine Coleman. City buildings are intricately engraved into a circular glass paperweight.

Behind it is Cloud Form by Peter Layton & James Devereux. A deep blue glass sculpture in the shape of a cloud with an oval cutout in the middle.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

There's an interesting translator's note - Tawada wrote parts of the novel in both German and Japanese, then translated those parts into the other language so that it could fully be translated by her German and Japanese translators. I read the translation from the German by Susan Bernofsky.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Whew - lots to unpack in this exuberant novel about a young woman obsessed with the movies of Catherine Deneuve, who is living as an illegal refugee in Paris. "I felt like I was playing a part in a movie with a plot unknown to me". Same goes for the reader. Loved it! #witmonth book 12

A copy of The Naked Eye by Yoko Tawada, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky. The cover is black with a yellow tinted black and white photo of Catherine Deneuve. The book lies on a naked wood table next to a latté.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

RIP Yayoi Kusama. Thanks for all the colour and joyful dots. Had to cast this on today. It's a fun scarf called Dot The I by Lone Arnstd. #Knitsky

A piece of knitting with red polka dots on a white background.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

She was just so cool. I loved her immersive rooms

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Set during one day, Anna sits in a café intending to read The Hours. But through memories and flashbacks, the story is of the men around her damaged by generational violence and war. Wistful amidst sadness; the day could have been so different. Book 11 for #Witmonth Translated by Douglas Robinson.

A copy of When I Forgot by Elina Hirvonen, translated by Douglas Robinson, lies propped up against a grey and blue duvet. The cover of the novel shows bare feet making footprints in the snow.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

"Violet. Violence. Violator." I was very moved reading this novel about a lonely, timid girl who moves to Seoul to work in a flower shop but can't overcome her childhood rejections to make a happy life in a busy, indifferent city. Beautifully written. Translated by Anton Hur. #Witmonth book 10

A copy of Violets by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Anton Hur, sits propped up on a shelf next to a house plant with dark green leaves and red stripes. The cover of the novel is bright orange with some frail violets behind the lettering.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Have this on the shelves somewhere. Sounds right up my street

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Book 9 of #witmonth A novel about the last days of Beckett in a nursing home, mostly told from his perspective as he reminisces about his Irish childhood, friendship with Joyce, and his own characters. Plenty of pathos but not sure I got more insight into his character, so just an ok read for me.

A copy of Yell, Sam, If You Still Can by Maylis Besserie, translated by Clíona Ní Ríordáin lies propped against some books on a shelf next to a slipcase with four volumes of the Collected Works of Samuel Beckett. The novel has a pen drawing of Samuel Beckett's face.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I will definitely have to get a copy.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Definitely Elena Knows. A Little Luck is very, very good but Elena Knows just blew me away. A really original novel.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Thank you - this is the perfect pattern to try it.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Read this in two sittings. Can anyone read her without tearing up? Piñeiro is just so good at balancing tension with complicated human emotions, in this case a mother trying to cope with a tragedy in her past. Translated by Frances Riddle. Loved it - highly recommended. Book 8 for #witmonth

A copy of Claudia Piñeiro's A Little Luck is held up showing an illustration of the palm of a hand against a bright orange background. The novel is translated by Frances Riddle

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Halfway through A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle, and am completelt engrossed. Not surprising as I loved Elena Knows

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

The movie adds another existential layer by setting it in modern times but constantly referencing the 1940s. Great cast and acting, but misses the constant ennui that is such a big part of the novel.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Transit by Anna Seghers, translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo, was my next choice for #Witmonth as Petzold's film of the novel was playing on Mubi. Nothing and everything is happening simultaneously in a surreal and bureaucratic WWII Marseille where refugees are desperate to get the correct papers.

A copy of Transit by Anna Seghers, translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo, lies on a wooden café table next to a partially drunk latte. The cover of the novel is a black and white photo of people in a queue, taken from above.

The movie poster for Christian Petzold's film Transit showing the two main actors, Frank Rogowski and Paula Beer. She is resting her head on his shoulder.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Definitely ordering Tidal Waters - that looks great. And I love that your suggestions are from all different parts of the globe - thanks again

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Yes, it's a real structural challenge so when it's dine skillfully, it really is rewarding

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Thank you for all the suggestions - will look them up

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Thanks for the review - this does sound like a good read

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Thanks - not heard of this one though who doesn't love Enchanted April. Will look out for it

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Thank you for reminding me I have this on my shelf. Forgot to check Peresphones for witmonth but of course they have published several in translation. An Interrupted Life by Etty Hillesum, translated by Arnold J. Pomerans is also a very moving read.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Edinburgh has such great bookshops.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Having read this and The Correspondent recently, I'm open to suggestions for any other good epistolary novels. They are fun to read.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Stayed up late finishing this epistolary novel about an old group of friends all searching for pastures green - places and people - and failing miserably in different ways. Enjoyed reading different points of view among the letters. Skillfully done. Translated by Dick Davis. Book 6 for #Witmonth

A copy of The City and the House by Natalua Ginzburg, translated by Dick Davis, is propped up against a crumpled duvet cover which is white with grey flowers. The cover of the book has a black and white photo of the backs of a man and woman walking down a city street. The woman looks as if she is walking briskly away from the man whose face is turned toward her.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Hooray - I have read all her books recently reissued

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Thank you - I'm very pleased with it

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I will look out for this. I have two of her novels on my witmonth pile - Transit and The Seventh Cross. Are you enjoying the read so far?

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Once you have your set up row done, it's fairly straightforward. It looks a lot harder than it is.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Far too hot to wear now but I've just finished knitting this jumper - Tenney Park by Elizabeth Morrison - and it's giving me autumnal campus vibes. Loved trying entrelac for the first time and it was perfect for some Noro Silk Garden sock yarn in stash. Free pattern from @knitty.com #knitsky

A light brown jumper with an entrelac panel down the middle in pinks, browns and yellows, is hanging in front of an overcrowded bookcase.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

This looks good. I loved 45 Years

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Apparently it's very meta - Andrea has turned director and is making a film about . . . an agency

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